Portable power driven fender tool



p 1934- J. B. FLEMING'ET AL 1,973,056

PORTABLE POWER DRIVEN FENDER TOOL- Filed Nov. 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l P 1934- J. B.- FLEMING ET AL 1,973,056

PORTABLE POWER DRIVEN FENDER TOOL Filed Nov. 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Shet 2 I H I Patented Sept. 211 li ht- 1,973,056 PQBTABLE POWER DRIVEN FENDER TOOL Jared Barton Fleming and Henry 0. Preston, Towson, Md, assignors'to The Black & Decker Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Maryland Application November 14, 1930, Serial No. 495,612

9 Claims.

The repair work on automobile and other motor vehicle fenders and sheet-metal portions of the bodies of such vehicles in the way of removing various deflections, wrinkles, depressions, and protuberances is in the main performed by skilled metal workers, those who are fully competent to do this work being as a rule men who have served their apprenticeship in other lines requiring similar treatment of sheet metal. Such skilled labor involves a considerable expense so that the average repair shop not specializing in this line and not having enough of this kind of work to keep a man continuously employed, is compelled to do such repair work in a manner which is not, as a rule, satisfactory to customers or to turn it over to a shop which specializes in this line.

While there are various fender rolling machines by which a badly disfigured fender may be brought to its original form or practically so, these machines are very expensive and their use necessitates the removal of the fender which latter operation is more expensive than the ordinary repair job performed while the fender is in place.

The object of the present invention is to provide a portable power-driven tool which can be used to advantage by unskilled labor having practically no experience in this line, the tool being operated Without any danger of injury or disfigurement of the fender bringing a deflected and disfigured fender to its original form quickly and easily and without the necessity for removing the fender from its position on the chassis.

The improved tool in the preferred form comprises two members oppositely supported on a suitable yoke or frame for engaging the disfigured portion of the fender from the opposite sides and applying to it a pressing or squeezing action resulting from a series of impulses imparted to said engaging means, or one of them. resulting in an to apparently gentle squeezing or massaging action,

there being no impacts or blows of either member on the fender and consequently no danger of defacing it or of breaking or weakening the metal.

In the form of the invention shown the impulses are in the nature of a very short harmonic motion of one engaging member, the other said membefbeing adjustably mounted so that said members may in the operation of the tool be kept in comparatively close contact with the opposite sides of the injured portion of the fender,

the tool being moved along the edges of the deflected portion and operated continuously until the desired result in the nature of the elimination of such disfigurement is attained.

What may be considered the average repair job of this type involving the removal of a few depressions or protuberances, is performed in a very short time. as from one to five minutes, the action of the tool being such that it not only can not disfigure the fender, but does not remove w the paint or other finish so that in many in stances there is no repainting required, the only paint removed from the fender being a small amount which was cracked and loosened or scratched off in the original contact which resulted in the injury which is being repaired.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated a portable power-driven fender pressing or squeezing tool embodying the features of our invention in the preferred form.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete tool assembled.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the tool looking from the left in Figure 1, the crank pin and follower and the upper end of the spindle being shown in section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation taken in the plane of Figure 1 on a larger scale and showing in section on the plane 33 of Figure 2, the anvil or ramhead and the dolly or adjustable head, also the crank pin, follower and the seat therefor in the upper end of the spindle.

Figure 4 shows in a fragmentary way the operation of the tool on a similar scale.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, each of which is used to indicate the same or similar parts in the different figures, the construction shown comprises a yoke or c-shaped frame 1, open at the left in Figures 1 and 3. Between the spaced ends 2 and 3 of the upper and lower arms, respectively, of the yoke or C-frame and supported on the end 2 of the upper arm in the position of the tool shown is a ram head or anvil 4 and on the end 3 of the lower arm is a dolly or adjustable head 5. Short pressing or squeezing impulses are imparted in rapid succession to the anvil 4 by and from the rotary electric motor 6 supported on the upper arm 9 of the frame 1.

More particularly described,- the construction shown includes the motor housing or casing 7 pivotally mounted as to its rear or right-hand end in Figure 1 at 8, near the center of the upper arm 9 of the c-frame 1, so that it is located on top of the upper arm of frame 1 between said pivot 8 and the end 2 of said arm as shown. This casing 7 which encloses themotor 6 has mounted on and secured to its forward end a gear casing 10 enclosing a reducing'train of gears 11 by which the rotary motion of the motor is communicated at a considerably reduced speed to the spindle 12. This spindle 12 is mounted in suitable bearings 14 in the spindle and ram housing 15 which is secured at its rear end by means of flange 16 to the gear casing 10. Spindle 12 carries at its outer end a crank pin or eccentric 17 of exceedingly short throw, our experience to date indicating that A; to A of one'inch is preferable. This crank pin or eccentric engages 'a corresponding crank pin or eccentric bearing 18 in a follower member. 19, see particularly Figure 2, which is shown in the form of a square block mounted to slide laterally in suitable ways 20, which are at right angles to the stroke of the tool and formed in the head 21 of the ram 22. The ram 22 has a slide bearing at 24 in the spindle and ram housing 15, the axis or direction of said bearing ,being preferably disposed at right angles to the axis of the spindle.

The ram 22 is-further shown as provided at its lower end, outside of the housing 15, with an anvil or ramhead 4 previously mentioned, which is shown, in the preferred form of the invention illustrated, as connected to and with the lower end of the ram by means of a ball and socket or other universal joint 25 on which it is removably secured by locking ring 25'.

The dolly or adjustable head 5 is shown as supported by means of a universal joint 26 or in any suitable manner on the upper end of a screw stud 27 which is seated as to its lower portion .in a threaded opening 28 in the end 3 of the lower arm 13 of the frame. This stud 27 is provided with manually eng'ageable means'27' by which it may be rotated to adjust the spacing of the dolly relatively to the anvil in bringing them into operative relation to and with the fender. Stud 27 and ram 22 are preferably in alignment.

The motor housing 7'has been described as pivotally mounted at 8 near the center of the top arm 9 of the c-frame or yoke 1. The pivot pin 8 is disposed at right angles to the plane of the yoke or C-frame so that the motor housing 7, the gear casing 10 and spindle and ram housing 15 and anvil 4 swing upwardly from the top of the arm 9 on which they are supported in the vertical plane of the frame and preferably of the axis of the ram 22 and stud 27, though this relationship of the parts is not regarded as essential.

Referring now to Figure 3, it will be noted that the front end of the top arm of the frame at 21s provided \with an upwardly disposed dowel-pin hole or-socket 30 substantially in the plane of the machine described. The spindle and ram housing 15 have a correspondingly tapered dowel pin 31 for positioning the ram etc. when it is swung downwardly to the operative position shown in the drawings in which position it enters the socket 30.

The housing 15 is shown as provided near its lower end encircling the lower end portion of the ram bearing 24 with a circular external horizontal groove 32 in which is rotatively mounted a locking ring 33 having a thickened or widened area or zone 34 which widened area 34 when the ring is rotated into the position shown in Figure 3 becoming located beneath the end 2 of theupper arm 9 of the frame, serves to lock the ram 22, the anvil 4 and the other operating parts in the fender engaging position of the anvil, as shown in Figure 4, with a fragment of fender and in Figure 3 without the fender.

In the operation of the tool the lock 33, 34 is first released by rotating the part 34 out of alignment with theend 2 of frame 1 to permit the ram. anvil, motor, etc. to be swung upwardly, and the fender pressing tool is then brought into engagement with the fender as shown in Figure 4, the fender 40 being entered between the-anvil or ramhead 4 and the dolly or adjustable head 5. The ram, ram housing, spindle and motor housing and motor are then locked in the operative position of the parts shown in Figures 1 and 3 by returning the locking ring 33 to its original position. The tool is then moved until the pressing members, i. e., anvil and dolly, 4 and 5, are in engagement with the edge of the disfigured or deflected portion 35 when the screw stud 2'7 is turned to bring said pressing members in contact with the opposite surfaces of the fender. The button 36 is then pressed or any suitable switch is closed to place the motor in circuit. The rotation of the motor transmitted to the spindle 12 through reducing'gearing 11 imparts. to the ram 22 by way of the eccentric or crank pin 17 and follower 19 or other suitable connection, a very short harmonic reciprocating motion or any suitable impulses preferably in the direction of the length of the ram, in which operation ofthe tool, the dolly 5 beingin contact with the lower side of the fender and the anvil 4 preferably in contact or substantially in contact at all times with the upper side of the fender, there is no impact or blow of her the anvil or the dolly on the fender, the op tion having a pressing or squeezing action wit n impressive emciency in straighteningthe fen and a correspondingly noticeable lack of impao While this provision ha \not been found necessary and may not be desirable, it is noted that the yoke or C-frame 1 when sufficiently light so that it can be handled without undue inconvenience possesses a degree of elasticity which it has been found impossible so far to eliminate and maybe treated in certain aspects of the invention as contributing to the successful operation. 0n the other hand, the yielding of the fender under treatment is such that no yielding action on the part of the tool frame is considered necessary to the successful operation of the tool.

By adjusting the dolly into close relation to one side of the fender bringing the anvil into correspondingly close relation with the other side and operating the motor to move the anvil up and down relatively to the dollyand passing the anvil and dolly over the deflected portion, moving the anvil along the edge of the same, a squeezing'action which may be termed a massaging of the fender, is accomplished, which gradually reduces the indentation to the plane of the adjoining surface, thus returning it to its original shape. In this connection itwill be understood that the spacing of the anvil and dolly must be determined by the depth of the indentation and as the indentation is reduced, they can be brought closer together by means of the adjustment 28,keeping the dolly and anvil at all times during the operation in contact with the opposite sides of the fender even in the withdrawn position of the ram which has an exceedingly short stroke, preferably from to A". f i

We have thus described specifically and in detail a portable power-driven fender pressing tool, embodying the features of our invention in the preferred form in order that the nature of the same and the manner of constructing, applying and using the invention may. be clearly understood: however, the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than in a limiting sense, the scope of the inventionbeing defined in the claims.

and desire to secure by substantially rigid but having a slight degree of elasticity and being adapted to admit the fender between said arms, a motor and reciprocating ram mounted on'one of said arms, a dolly mounted on the other said arm in alignment with the ram, means connecting said motor to the ram to impart extremely short reciprocating impulses to the ram, and an anvil mounted on the lower end of the ram, the anvil and dolly constituting two cooperating members, one of which is adjustable toward the other to bring said members into contact with the said deflections on opposite sides of the sheet-metal work, the ram having a positive driving connection with one arm and the dolly having a positive support on the other arm, the reciprocating impulses applied to the ram being of such short extent that in the normal operation of the tool both the ram and dolly may be maintained by said adjustment in substantially continuous contact with the work, the motion of the ram being taken up by the elasticity of the work and 'the slight yielding of the tool frame so that the impulses of the ram as applied to the work have a pressingaction without impact.

2. In a portable power-driven tool for repairing fenders and treating other sheet-metal parts, a yoke, a motor, and a ram-supported on one side of said yoke, a dolly adjustably and positively supported on the other side of said yoke opposite said ram, means connecting said motor to the ram to impart an exceedingly short reciprocating motion to the ram with a positive drive relatively to the yoke, 2 c. an anvil mounted on the lower end of the ram in operative relation to said dolly, the adjustment serving to hold the anvil and dolly in contact with the opposite sides of the work substantially throughout the stroke so that the impulses as applied to the work have a pressing action without any noticeable impact the work and the yoke having sufficient elasticity to take up the motion of the ram.

3. In a portable power-driven tool for repairing fenders and treating other sheet-metal parts, a yoke, a motor, and a ram supported on one side of said yoke, a dolly adjustably supported on the other side of said yoke opposite said ram,

means connecting said motor to the ram to impart a reciprocating motion to the ram, and an anvil mounted on the lower end of the ram in operative relation to said dolly, the adjustment serving to bring the anvil and dolly substantially into contact with the opposite sides of the work throughout the stroke so that the impulses as applied to the work have a pressing action without, any. noticeable impact, the motor and ram being'movably mounted on the frame to provide for admission of the fender between the ram and the dolly, and means for fastening the same in operative position.

4. In aportable tool for removing deflections and protuberances and depressions fromfenders' and other sheet-metal structures, a substantially rigid frame comprising an upper and a lower support providing for the admission of the fender between the supports, a motor, motor housing, and reciprocating ram mounted on the upper support, an anvil mounted on the lower endof the ram, a dolly mounted and positively supported on the lower support substantially in align- 3 I ment with the ram, connections including a spindle and an eccentric member for operating the ram from the motor, the ram having a positive driverelatively to the frame and a guide for the 'ram secured to the motor housing, the throw of said eccentric member being adapted to impart to the anvil short harmonic impulses whereby the anvil and dolly being placed in contact with opposite sides of the fender where the fender is deflected, the motion of the anvil is such as to impart repeated pressing impulses to the fender substantially without impact against the work the elasticity of the support and the elasticity of the work being sufficient to take up the stroke of the anvil which is correspondingly short.

5. In a portable tool for repairing fenders and removing deflections and protuberances and depressions from sheet metal, a C -shaped frame comprising an upper and a lower support and providing for the admission of the fender between '95 the supports, a motor, motor housing and reciprocating ram, and a ram guide mounted on the upper arm of the C-frame, a dolly mounted on the lower support opposite the ram, and an anvil mounted on the lower end of the ram, gear connections including a spindle and an eccentric member and follower for operating the ram, the throw of said eccentric being adapted to impartto the anvil a short harmonic motion whereby the "anvil and dolly being placed in contact with opposite sides of the fender at the same point where the fender isdefiected, the motion of the anvil is such as to impart repeated pressing impulses to the fender without any noticeable hammering action, the dolly and anvil comprising two members, one of which is adjustable relative- 1y to the other to bring the said members into close contact with the opposite sides of the work at all points in the stroke the frame and supports having sufficient elasticity combined with the elasticity of the work to provide for the mo-- tion of the anvil which is sufficiently short for this purpose.

6. In a. portable tool for repairing fenders and removing deflections and protuberances and depressions from sheet metal, a C-shaped frame comprising an upper and a lower support and providing for the admission of the fender between the supports, a motor, motor housing and reciprocating ram, and a, ram guide mounted on the upper arm of the C-frame, a dolly mounted on the lower support opposite the ram, and an anvil mounted on the lower end of the ram, gear connections including a spindle and an eccentric member and follower for operating the ram,

the throw of said eccentric being adapted to im-' part to the anvil a short harmonic motion where-.1

by the anvil and dolly being placed in contact with opposite sides of the fender at the same point where the fender is deflected, the motion of the anvil is such as to impart repeated pressing impulses to the fender without any noticeable hammeringaction, the dolly and anvil comprising two members, one of which is adjustable relatively to the other to bring the said members into close contact with the opposite sides of the? work at all points in the stroke, one such member' being movable from working position to admit the fender between said members, and means for-locking said movable member in working tor the on of the tender between the supports, a motor, motor housing, and reciprocating ram mounted on the upper support, an anvil mounted on the lower end of the ram, a dolly mounted on the. lower support substantially in alignment with the ram, connections including a spindle and an eccentric member tor operating the ram irom the motor, and a guide for the ram secured to the motor housing, the throw of said eccentric member being adapted to impart to the anvil a short harmonic impulse whereby the anvil and dollybeing placed in contact with opposite sides of the tender where the tender is deflected,

the motion 0! the anvil is such as to impart repeated pressing impulses to the tender substantially without impacts against the work,' said motor and ram guide and spindle being mounted to swing upwardly irom workin position to admit the work. and means for positioning said mem- "bers in-workingposition, and means for lockingthem in said working position. 1

8. In a portable power driven tool for repairing tenders and treating other sheet metal parts,

a substantially rigid yoke, a motor and a ram supported on one side of said yoke, a dolly adiustably supported on the other side of said yoke opposite said ram, the yoke providing a substantially rigid connection between said dolly and said ram, with a slight provision for yielding, means connecting the motor'to the ram to impart a short vibratory reciprocating motion to the ram, an

anvil mounted on the lowerend of the ram in close proximity to the dolly, the adiustment serving to maintain the ram and dolly substantiallyin con tact with the opposite sides of the work throughout the stroke, the ram having a positive drive relatively to the yoke with a substantiallyharmonic motion and a correspondingly short stroke, the l dolly being positively supported so thatthe vibratory impulses as applied to the work have a pressing action without a noticeable impact. o

9. A' tool for supporting and conforming sheet metal lenders 0! motor vehicles and the like, in' the form or a manually supported portable power driven tool comprising a tender hammer and a dolly. means for short vibratory reciprocations to the hammer toward and from the dolly, power driven means for operating the hammer, a yokelike, substantially rigid frame for supporting the dolly on one side of the work and the hammer on the other sid admitting the lender between said members, said apparatus being relatively short in the direction or the stroke so' that it may be applied to practically all parts of the tenderwhen in position onthe vehicle, the dolly having" a positive support on one side of theyoke, the hammer being positively. driven from the 100 otherside of the yoke, the tool and supporting means, including the yoke, having together with the work sufllcient elasticity to take up the stroke or the hammer.

HENRY c. PRESTON.

JARED BARTON FLEMING. 

